Africa is an incredible continent, home to 54 countries and a rich diversity of cultures and landscapes. With so many options to choose from for your first African holiday, it can be challenging to decide which one to go for.
Below, we’ve listed our five picks for first-time travellers in Africa based on wildlife, accessibility, and scenery.
Morocco
If you’re looking for wildlife encounters, Morocco holidays are perfect for spotting unique species. The country boasts a dozen dolphin and whale species off its coasts and 105 mammals across its ecosystems.
Visit Toubkal National Park near Marrakesh to climb the mountain peak over two days. The park is an internationally designated Important Bird Area (IBA), with populations of Barbary partridges, Moussier’s redstarts, and Levaillant’s woodpeckers to spot. At Parc Zoologiew Naiona in Rabat, you’ll see the descendants of the Barbary lion, the country’s national animal.
Kenya
In East Africa, Kenya has a well-established tourism industry that caters to first-time safari-goers. The country has an Indian Ocean coastline featuring savannahs, Lakelands, mountain highlands, and the Great Rift Valley.
From Nairobi, take a safari to the Maasai Mara Reserve. It’s a vast expanse of gently rolling savannah plains bordering Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. If you visit in July, you’ll witness the Great Migration of wildebeest as they cross the Mara River from Tanzania among the ubiquitous flat-topped acacia trees. Try to spot lions, cheetahs, rhinos, giraffes, and zebras as you tour the reserve with expert guides.
Tanzania
On the southern border of Kenya, Tanzania is renowned for its vast wilderness, especially the Serengeti National Park. It’s home to the “big five” game animals: elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo, and rhinos.
Kilimanjaro National Park is home to the continent’s highest mountain and a diverse array of species, including the Cape bushbuck and the Kilimanjaro tree hyrax. You can hike trails winding through rainforest inhabited by colobus monkeys and marvel at the volcanic caldera of Lake Chala. Offshore, Zanzibar’s Mafia Island features whale sharks and coral reefs bustling with fish.
Botswana
In the southern part of the continent, Botswana forms a significant portion of the vast Kalahari Desert. The country is renowned for the Okavango Delta, which transforms into a lush habitat during the annual floods and is home to crocodiles, buffalo, and African fish eagles.
The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the world’s second-largest, covering an area larger than the Netherlands. It has a flat topography, characterised by bush- and grass-covered dunes and flooded river valleys. You can admire the reserve’s laughing brown hyenas, wild dogs, and giraffes from a distance.
Namibia
Namibia’s dramatic desert scenery includes the towering dunes of the Namib Desert, some of the oldest in the world. Elephants, hippopotamuses, jackals, and cormorants are among the species that call the desert home and weather the harsh conditions.
The Skelton Coast in the country’s north is one of the continent’s best-kept secrets. It’s ideal for well-experienced surfers, with heavy waves influenced by strong tidal rips and fast offshore winds.
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